


Brother

by balloonaloo



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Blood and Injury, Fire Nation baddies, Friendship, Hurt Sokka, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Other, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Sokka and Zuko are best friends, The Fire Nation does not like traitors, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko (Avatar) whump, Zuko can never escape the fire nation yikes, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko needs to learn to relax, graphic depictions of injury, happy endings, it gets worse and worse until it gets better, sokka needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:21:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24512224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/balloonaloo/pseuds/balloonaloo
Summary: He had already lost his mother to the war; he couldn’t lose the one he considered his brother now too.--Sokka and Zuko are caught in a bad situation while out fishing, and now one of their lives is at stake.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 803
Collections: AtLA <10k fics to read





	Brother

**Author's Note:**

> Please read the tags! If you are uncomfortable with blood, injury or painful affliction, please don't read this story. 
> 
> I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender or any of the characters

**Disclaimer: the original story and it’s characters do not belong to me, it is only a non-profit fan work created out of respect for the original work. If I have crossed a line or written something that the creator prohibits, I will take this work down immediately**

* * *

Sokka was filled with pure, unadulterated terror. His muscles twitched despite his silent desire for them to _stay still_ , his heart beat a mile a minute, thudding madly against his chest cavity. His sympathetic nervous system was hard at work, the adrenaline that had been coursing through him moments ago was beginning to wear off, leaving Sokka jittery and weary. He tried calming his rapid breathing by taking a deep breath and exhaling through his nose. In the distance, he heard shouting.

Panic seized him, and he consciously tightened his grip on the limp form of his friend, pulling his head closer to Sokka’s chest with his hand. Eyelids fell over blue eyes, squeezing tight and hoping to _anything_ that would listen, that they wouldn’t find them. A few moments passed, and when the voices faded in distance, Sokka relaxed slightly, but only slightly.

He opened his eyes and looked over the unconscious prince. Zuko had sustained a large variety of injuries, ranging from a broken wrist – surely – to harsh bruises on his face. What concerned Sokka the most, and his concern was justified, was the wound by his hip that oozed hot, sticky blood. It was deep, it was ugly, and it was _bad_. The small or large lacerations and gashes that adorned the fire prince’s body were nothing in comparison to the injury. Sokka couldn’t even look at it in the position that he was in right now.

Zuko was sprawled across his chest, though really, Sokka held him so tightly it was as if the boys were sticking together like glue. The water-tribe boy had one arm under Zuko’s, wrapped around to his back to keep him there, and the other hand was resting gently, but firmly, on the back of the firebender’s head. Sokka’s back was fixedly pressed against a broad tree, big enough to conceal them from the ones that were presently pursuing them.

“Zuko,” Sokka tried, lifting his hand to softly slap the other boys face. “c’mon, wake up.”

Sokka tried his best to swallow the anxiety that was slowly bubbling in his stomach when Zuko didn’t make any response whatsoever. He was just…still. That was ever so disconcerting. Sokka made a quick effort to check Zuko’s pulse, eye twitching at the sound of his heart pumping blood noisily in his ears but released the breath he was holding when he felt a heartbeat. At the injury that Zuko had, he knew that the pulse wouldn’t be as robust and constant as usual, but there was a hope that it would be. Instead, it was thready and listless.

“Come on, buddy. I promise I won’t slap you again if you wake up,” Sokka joked nervously, shifting positions.

Zuko’s head lolled around flaccidly, following Sokka’s change. It was unsettling to watch; he was like a ragdoll. Lifeless and limp. _No, not Zuko._

“Okay. All bets are off then,” He muttered, slapping Zuko’s cheek a little harder. “you better get up.” 

Again, _nothing_. Sokka knew he needed to move. He knew he needed to get Zuko back to Katara so that she could heal him – and then after, maybe Sokka too. He knew he needed to get back to warn the others, to tell them that they needed to get out of there because they were in danger. But he was terrified to move. He could feel the warmth of Zuko’s blood – _his friend’s blood_ – seeping through his clothing. It made him shudder with horror. If he moved, what if Zuko bled out?

“ _Please_ , Zuko! Wake up!” Sokka begged, head falling on the top of Zuko’s.

_What do I do…?_ He thought, frustrated tears brimming his eyes.

He had nothing. He had no communication tool, he forgot his sky-bison whistle back at camp, he didn’t have any medical supplies with him, he didn’t have a sword with him. All Sokka had was himself and an unconscious prince. If he sat here, Zuko would bleed out slowly, but if he moved…he didn’t know if Zuko would bleed out quicker. In fact, he didn’t even know if he had left a trail of blood. Sokka was alone right now. And he was falling apart where he sat.

He held onto Zuko. He was falling apart because he couldn’t lose anyone else to this war.

_He had already lost his mother to the war; he couldn’t lose the one he considered his brother now too_.

* * *

(Earlier that day) Sokka groaned loudly as he stretched his muscles. He felt a satisfying crack in his back and sighed contentedly.

“Good flying, Appa,” he said, petting the sky bison’s large head.

The creator responded tiredly, grunting happily before falling to rest on the grassy terrain. Sokka watched as his companions unloaded everything off of Appa’s saddle and started making camp.

“Sokka, come help us,” Katara scolded.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Everyone was a little tired from their journey. They were on their way to Ember Island. According to Zuko, his father owned a home there. It would be the safest place to stay as the Firelord would not be suspecting them to hide at his own residence. Sokka tossed his bedroll to the ground as a breeze blew over. It was nice, gentle and it almost forced him to take a deep breath. The others had stopped setting up tents to breathe in the fresh air as Sokka had done. It was warm out, but not blisteringly hot. As Sokka looked around, he almost forgot they were actually in Fire Nation territory. It was so serene. He nearly overlooked the reality that the land was run by a vindictive ruler and a sad excuse for a father.

Once everything was unpacked and tents were set up, everyone sat down for a much-needed relaxation time. Sokka propped himself up against Appa, Suki close next to him.

“That one looks like a platypus-bear,” Suki pointed to one of the clouds that dotted the blue sky.

“Oh! That one looks like a heart!” Sokka said, excitement flooding his voice. “It reminds me of true love.”

Suki giggled, leaning against Sokka lovingly. “Me too.”

“Elgh,” Zuko groaned as he walked by them, rolling his eyes at their display of affection.

Sokka stuck his tongue out at him. The fire prince ignored him and stopped by where Aang was scratching Momo’s ears.

“You should practice, Aang.”

The Avatar looked up sadly, one lip jutted out, and eyes wide to form the best kicked puppy face he could manage. “But we just got here.”

“Yeah, come on Zuko, take a load off.”

“Take a load off?” He repeated, irritation coating his every word. “Do you think that the Fire Nation will take a load off?”

“One day won’t kill you, fire fingers,” Toph yawned, itching her elbow.

“While we sit here, the fire nation could be planning for an attack. They could be growing stronger. Aang needs to be practicing his fire bending to mastery so that he can defeat the fire father—”

Zuko flushed when his friends snickered at his miswording. He grumbled and massaged his temple, a vein in his neck popping.

“Zuko,” Katara said, stepping forward and squeezing her friends arm gently. “working yourself and Aang to the brink of death won’t help anything. Now, we’re all tired so just relax for a little bit.”

“Relax? I don’t think Zuko knows _how_ to relax,” Sokka snorted.

“I can relax!” Zuko snapped.

Sokka lifted his arms, giving his friend a look that conveyed the irony of his statement. Zuko sighed and plopped onto the ground. “Okay, fine.”

“So, I don’t have to practice firebending?” Aang asked hopefully.

“Not today.”

“Yes!” Aang exclaimed.

“Don’t get too excited,” Zuko said. “we’ll be getting right back into it tomorrow.”

Sokka pushed himself off of Appa and knelt by the fire prince. He slung an arm around his shoulder and tisked, all the while shaking his head. “You have much to learn, my friend. Don’t think about the future when you’re trying to relax. Just…relax.”

To demonstrate his point, Sokka fell onto his back, and tugged Zuko with him. Zuko was stiff as he laid there.  
  
“What is the point of this.”

“I don’t know, but it’s better than pacing and fretting about fighting the fire nation,” Sokka responded.

“Hey, Sokka, we don’t have enough food for everyone tonight. I can make something without meat for Aang, but maybe you could go out fishing?” Katara asked, looking through their food supply.

Sokka shot up. “A perfect example of relaxing! Zuko, you’re coming with, we can _actually_ go fishing this time.”

“Do I have too?”

“Yes.” 

* * *

“The art of relaxation isn’t so hard, once you get the hang of it,” Sokka said, ducking under a tree branch. “uh, you meditate, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you could think of it like that.”

Sokka maneuvered his way through the thick forest, trying to do his best not to slip on the steep landscape. With one hand, he held a fishing rod and a bucket, and he used the other hand to keep himself steady by pressing against trees.

“Why do you care if I’m relaxed so much?” Zuko asked, scowling as he swatted a bug away from his face.

“You obviously don’t seem to know how to, so I’m teaching you the “Sokka-way”. It’s relaxation 101.”

“The “Sokka-way” sounds more like laziness to me.”

Sokka glanced back at Zuko, the teen was sporting an amused grin.

“You sir, are an outrage!” Sokka said, feigning offense.

Zuko’s lips were quirked up, amused. He cleared his throat and looked at his feet awkwardly. “But really. Why do you care?”

Sokka stopped walking and rested the fishing pole on the ground for a moment. He frowned at Zuko, who looked genuinely confused. “Seriously? Dude, you have so much stress that you’re gonna have a heart attack at twenty. You’re high-strung literally all the time and you’re all worried about defeating your father. And I know that amid the fate of the world, there are personal reasons behind that…”

Zuko’s gaze fell, and his hand subconsciously brushed against his scar. Sokka cleared his voice, scouring his mind for a way to make the situation a little less serious, but he came up empty handed.

“But listen, I _care_ because I’m your friend. You’ve got to find a way to loosen up once in a while, even while there’s hard stuff happening. So, stop being worried and learn the “Sokka-way”,” Sokka grinned, shoving Zuko in the arm.

Zuko rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Alright, fine.”

The boys sat with their fishing rods in the water for a long time, Sokka caught a fair amount of fish while Zuko caught one. When he pulled it out of the water, though, he looked happy. Happier than Sokka had seen him in a while.

“I got one!”

The tone of his voice surprised Sokka. The ex-prince actually sounded his age. He sounded a little like Sokka – well, as they _were_ the same age. But what he meant was that Zuko had excitement and mirth in his voice and it translated into his expression as well. Zuko turned to look at Sokka, a smile on his face as he presented his fish to Sokka. He was standing, looking at the wriggling fish as Sokka unhooked it and dropped it in the bucket with the other fish.

“Way to go, Zuko!” Sokka bowed to his friend. “Congratulations. You have officially learned the art of the Sokka way. And you caught a fish!” 

“I’m not…that good at fishing, am I?” Zuko asked, raspy voice underlined with embarrassment.

“Nah, but it’s the effort that counts,” Sokka said honestly, patting Zuko on the back. “alright, we should probably head back now.”

Zuko nodded in agreement. They packed up the fishing supplies and climbed up the steep incline back into the forest. Midway through their trek, there was a snap in the forest, and Zuko froze. Sokka looked back, “Hey, what is it?”

“I heard something in the forest.”

“Probably just an animal or something,” Sokka shrugged. “remember, loosey racoongoosey.”

Zuko looked unsure but continued on anyways. They got to an area with even ground, where the trees parted and something akin to a path was on the ground.

“Uh…hm. I don’t remember this…” Sokka murmured.

There was another snap coming from the forest. This time, Sokka also stiffened. He placed the bucket of fish on the ground and tightened his grip on the fishing pole, his only weapon. Zuko’s eyes darted this way and that, hands itching to bend fire if need be. Nothing emerged from the forest, but both boys still waited. Teenagers that had seen the battlefield and were trained for anything. But still, nothing came at them. When minutes passed, Sokka finally eased up a little and grabbed the bucket again. Zuko shot him a teasing smile.

“Looks like you need to re-learn the Sokka way.”

“Oh, shut up.”

They started moving again, a little more relaxed and unsuspecting. But of course, that was when it happened. _Snap, snap, snap._ That was the sound of branches and twigs snapping under heavy boots. Zuko tensed up, bending too slow as he just barely avoided a scathing gust of fire. A strong kick made contact with Sokka’s chest, sending him stumbling back. He lost his grip on the bucket and the fish came tumbling out.

“My fish!” He cried.

Obviously, this was the least of his concerns, but he felt the need to make it known that he spent two hours collecting those buggers. Sokka swung the fishing rod at the rapidly approaching fire nation soldier, clad in a helmet that revealed her face. She kicked at Sokka again, this time snapping the fishing rod in two and smacking his cheekbone with her steel boot.

Sokka, dazed, fell to the ground holding his injured head. He felt blood seep through his fingers as his head pounded harshly. His vision tunneled with the beating of his heart. He attempted to blink away the fogginess.

He focused quick enough to dodge a blast of fire aimed directly at him. He rolled out of the way, gasping as the heat marginally singed his arm. This time he attacked. He swung his foot under the legs of the fire nation soldier, who jumped.

When she landed, Sokka grasped her ankle and tugged her to the ground. Using the momentum, he pulled himself off the forest ground and onto his feet, wincing at the pain that raced through his chest, radiating from where he was kicked.

There were too many soldiers surrounding them. Where had they come from? How had they been hiding? Zuko was doing a good job fending for himself, but the soldiers were trained well. And Sokka did not have a weapon with him. Men rushed at Sokka, who did his best to defend. He blocked punches passably, and landed a few of his own, but he was just a guy – without his boomerang (or his sword).

_Never leave home without it._ He said that. _Never ever would he leave anywhere without it on him. Never, ever again. Not even to prove a point_. Where was it? Why hadn’t Sokka brought it? Because he had been tired and was trying to convince Zuko to relax.

What was he thinking? He was in the middle of the _Fire Nation_. How stupid of him. How _incredibly_ stupid. He thought since they were dozens of miles away from civilization and near a forest, who would be near them? Always be aware. Sokka grunted as he was tackled to the ground, his hands were painfully tugged behind him and held in a vice grip.

“Do not make another move, _Prince Zuko_! Or I will slit his throat right now!” Sokka was frighteningly aware of a knife that had been pressed against his throat.

_Zuko no._ The shouting suddenly stopped. Sokka looked up to see that Zuko had stopped fighting when he had caught sight of Sokka’s position. The soldiers fighting Zuko immediately took advantage of his hesitation, grabbed his wrists and then shoved him to his knees so that he couldn’t bend. The blade that was beginning to draw rivulets of blood from Sokka’s throat was withdrawn, only to be replaced with another one from a different soldier. It struck Sokka as odd, though, because he didn’t recall Fire Nation soldiers carrying around knifes often. It made sense, though. If something were to happen to their bending – for instance someone like Ty Lee – it would be smart to be armed. And these warriors seemed to be smart.

The man that had threatened Zuko stood tall and gestured for Sokka to be brought to a standing position. This man was obviously the leader of this group, some ranking officer. He sneered at the water tribe teen.

“An affiliate of the Avatar, I see. Scum,” he growled, taking a step closer to Sokka.

And Sokka didn’t know why, but he was a little frightened. Well, he did know why, but he was unhappy that a warrior such as himself would be scared. This man’s demeanor was cruel and unforgiving, that callous attribute glinted in his eyes as well.

“Get away from him!” Zuko shouted from behind, struggling against the hands that were holding him still.

Eyes turned to look at the struggling prince, and they darkened. Geez. And Sokka thought _he_ got a dirty look.

“I am Fa Liu. Remember my name you traitorous _filth_ ,” Fa snarled, kneeling in front of Zuko.

His hand shot out and grasped Zuko’s face. Sokka grimaced, _that looked painful,_ but Zuko only narrowed his eyes, accepting the challenge. Fa leaned in close, tightening his grip.

“How dare you come back to the Fire Nation when the Firelord, your father, was accepting you with open arms, and then turn your back? You know that your people wanted you? I bet you were tricking everyone the entire time, weren’t you, _my prince_ ,” Fa said tauntingly.

“You’re misinformed,” Zuko muttered.

The bruising grip on Zuko’s face was suddenly released, startling the boy. Fa stood and landed a solid kick to Zuko’s abdomen, succeeding in knocking the wind out of him.

“Hey!” Sokka cried.

The knife was pressed against his throat, sufficiently shutting him up. When Sokka looked back at the scene, Fa had taken a step back, arms crossed over his chest.

“We don’t like traitors, do we?”

There was a tension rising in the air that made Sokka’s hair stand on end.

“Go on then, soldiers. Show him how _much_ you despise traitors.”

“Yes, commander,” said a Fire Nation soldier by Sokka.

Sokka watched in fury, and fear, as they circled Zuko and rained down their feet and fists upon the boy that had once been their prince. He was astonished. These were people still, right? There were human beings buried beneath the dense sums of wickedness? These were the people that Sokka was fighting to stop, and battle after battle he had seen their malevolent mindsets affect strangers and cities.

He had lost his mother to the Fire Nation, he had seen them attack, many of them wore helmets concealing their faces, others wore helmets showing only their faces, like the ones that had ambushed Sokka and Zuko today, but they were shrouded in nothing but anger, but it had truly been so long since he had seen in action the actual faces of the Fire Nation soldiers, beneath the helmets. He had seen that they, just as he was, were flesh and blood. They couldn’t be all that bad after all? He was so wrong.

Sokka wanted to pull his eyes away from the area, but he couldn’t. He was just angry. He wanted to stop listening to Zuko’s muffled grunts of pain, but he couldn’t do that either. Fa was smirking at Sokka, taking some kind of sick pleasure in not only Zuko’s pain, but Sokka’s pain and disgust. Finally, _finally_ , Fa cleared his voice and raised his hand and the brutal attacks stopped. Zuko was lying on the ground, curled up in a fetal position, arms protecting his head and knees drawn into his abdomen. He glared up at Fa fiercely, moving to sit up.

Fa made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat and placed his ample boot atop Zuko’s chest, while he positioned the top of his foot on Zuko’s right wrist.

“I’m not going to send you back to your father dead, child, no. But if you hadn’t noticed, you do have a wanted poster issued by Firelord Ozai himself stating you are wanted “dead or alive”. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation.” 

Sokka’s stomach dropped. He started thinking of any possible way to get out of there. He just couldn’t think of any, because it was hopeless. Zuko was at the mercy of these men and women, bent on vengeance. Sokka realized then that the Fire Nation was built upon honor, and he could see that clearly now.

Knowing Zuko, it made sense why honor was so important to him. It was important to their entire civilization. When Zuko betrayed the Firelord, he not only dishonored Ozai, but also the entire Nation as well. At least, in their eyes.

Fa raised his foot and smashed it down on Zuko’s wrist, the crack that Zuko’s bone made was nauseating. Sokka could honestly say now, that he felt like he was going to throw up. Zuko lay on the ground, eyes wide and uncomprehending before anguish suddenly rushed into them. A strangled cry fell from his lips when Fa pressed down further, face unreadable.

“Do you regret your decision to betray your father now?”

“No,” Zuko huffed, shaking his head.

Fa narrowed his eyes. He reached down, grasped the front of Zuko’s shirt and his very injured wrist and tugged the boy to his feet. Zuko cried out, knees wobbly from pain as Fa spun him around and struck him in the side. Zuko stumbled back, grasping his side with his left hand. Fa advanced again, this time discharging fire from his fist. Zuko scarcely avoided the attack, twisting out of the way. The fire scorched the front of his shirt, but otherwise did no damage. Zuko lifted his uninjured hand to strike back, but his eyes darted to Sokka and his arm fell to his side.

Inside, Sokka was screaming at himself. He was enraged at his inability to do anything in this current moment in time. Fa laughed at Zuko and knocked of him off of his feet again.

“You’re pathetic. You can barely stand your own against me.”

_Well, that’s_ hardly _fair,_ Sokka thought.

Fa brought his boot down on Zuko, eliciting a cry from the prince deemed a traitor. Sokka winced as the foot was lifted and came down again, and again. Fa dug the tip of his shoe under Zuko’s side and kicked him, _hard_. Similar to his wrist, Sokka was sure if he were closer, he could hear a rib or two cracking beneath the force of the impact. Zuko was strong, but there was only so much his physical body could take.

Sokka could see the pain in his eyes when another blow came. Zuko shouted when pressure was placed on his injured ribs, unwilling tears pricked his eyes. The soldiers that were watching seemed to take a revolting pleasure in Zuko’s pain. Sokka couldn’t stand it.

“Stop!” He cried.

Fa turned to Sokka. He smiled at him. It was a cold, calculating smile that held nothing behind the upturned lips. “Ah, that’s right. I almost forgot the main purpose of this…”

He sighed and walked towards Sokka. The boy was immediately afraid. He was afraid of the man that was smiling so casually at him, who had just beaten the life out of a sixteen-year-old. Sokka had no doubt in his mind he would do it again. To Sokka.

“It’s been fun, truly. But now that we’ve got this traitor and _you_ , we know that the Avatar must be nearby,” Fa explained. “you will take us to him. If you really decide your loyalty is more important than your life, well, I suppose you aren’t that important anyways.”

Fa turned around at the sudden shouting. Zuko had pulled himself off the ground, eyes wild at the possibility of Sokka being killed, or Aang being found. The tension in the air was back again, but it only rose. Sokka’s hair was on end as Fa moved in the blink of an eye, knife grasped in his hand, handle glowing red from the heat that Fa was bending into it.

“ _Zuko_!”

“You will be unable to escape on your way back to the Firelord, traitor.”

Sokka saw red spill from Zuko’s side, and that was it, he had to do something _now_. The guard holding him had become slightly lax, watching the scene play out in front of her. Sokka choose that moment to act. He grabbed her wrist and pulled the knife away from his throat, then twisted her wrist, disarming her and catching the knife in his other hand. He crouched and pushed off the ground, using his weight to throw her over him. Sokka moved quickly now, mind going a mile a minute. Another soldier rushed him, Sokka threw a punch at his abdomen with the back of the knife and while he was blocking grabbed the helmet off his head and used it to smack him across the face.

“Huh,” he said, looking at helmet that made a surprisingly good weapon.

Sokka was fueled by his fear for Zuko’s life and his ambition to get out of here and _warn_ Aang and the others. The fighting went on like that, Sokka sustained a few injuries here and there, but was otherwise okay. Fa shouted in anger and tugged the knife out of Zuko, much to Sokka’s horror. When he attacked, he tried not to think about the red substance dripping off the knife. The red substance that was blood that belonged to his friend. Sokka lifted his knife to deflect the attack, but not used to fighting with a knife, it was thrown out of his hands. He faltered, looking from Fa to the helmet he was gripping tightly. _Use it like a boomerang?_

Sokka chucked it straight at Fa’s unsuspecting face, hitting him square in the nose and baffling him. Sokka acted quickly, rushing to Zuko’s side and using the burst of adrenaline to lift his friend. He grunted in effort and rushed from the area and into the trees. Zuko was hardly awake, groaning in pain at the jostling.

“Sorry, buddy,” Sokka murmured.

He could hear shouting behind him, but that was when Sokka mistepped and forgot all about the steep terrain. He stifled a cry of fear and pulled Zuko close to his him as they tumbled down, rocks and roots scraping their skin and dirt covering their bodies. Sokka was lucky – extremely lucky – that they didn’t hit any trees. They finally slowed down, not at the bottom, but far enough down that it would take some time to get down there. Sokka didn’t hesitate, moving against his body’s aches and pains.

He took off in one direction, opposite the way they would go back to camp, grunting at pain that shot up his leg from his ankle, but continued on moving anyways, knowing his life and Zuko’s as well, depended on it. Once he felt he had gone a significant distance, he dove behind a large tree. Sokka pulled Zuko close to him, dismayed to find that his friend was not moving and didn’t appear to be breathing as he should be.

“Okay…okay…” he breathed, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and grasping the fabric of Zuko’s clothing tightly. “…so much for relaxing…”

Sokka did not want to stay by the tree very long, but he stayed there until he was sure that Fa Liu and his men were not anywhere near them. Zuko still hadn’t woken up and that was going to make getting back to camp so much harder. Sokka knew he needed to get moving. He was pretty sure that his ankle was sprained as well, so it was going to be slow going – and it couldn’t be. He _had_ to get back to Aang. For the fate of the world, and for Zuko.

Sokka had ripped some of his shirt and wrapped it around Zuko’s injury to staunch the blood flow, but he couldn’t do anything to clean it like he wanted. The wound was ugly, it was burned around the edges thanks to Fa and his nasty trick. Sokka couldn’t tell how deep it was because blood was constantly flowing out from it.

The sun was beginning to go down now, Sokka could tell from looking up at the color of the sky. It was a beautiful orange-red. On a normal night, Sokka would admire the colors that gave the sky a painted semblance, but right now he didn’t want to see any color that even slightly resembled blood. Not when there was so much of it that coated his hands and his friend. He tossed Zuko’s arm around his shoulder, taking a deep breath before he pushed himself off the ground, placing more weight on his uninjured foot. It was difficult, still, being on a slant and all the while holding up dead weight.

Sokka was wary as he began to move, looking around every direction in case they were taken by surprise again. Every step was agony, and crucial. It was hard to balance not toppling over and falling down the incline again.

“Sokka…”

Sokka’s head snapped down at the voice that came out like a croak. Zuko was blinking blearily, trying to lift his head. Sokka could tell the moment he woke up, because his muscles tensed as he tried to stand on his own but was unable to.

“Zuko, I’m _so_ glad to hear your voice, I—”

Sokka didn’t get another word in before Zuko fell limp again. His head flopped, eyes rolling to the back of his head. Sokka had to compensate for the sudden dip in weight, wrapping his other arm around Zuko’s torso. He grit his teeth in frustration. Things couldn’t get worse, could they?

_Too soon._

“Down there! I think I see someone!”

Sokka assumed that the Fire Nation soldiers had circled back. Sokka would have liked to shout in exasperation at this moment in time, but since that wasn’t an option, instead he opted for running away. It was just as difficult as before, if not more so because he was moving at a quicker pace. In his haste, Sokka ended up tripping. Again. It was just like before except when he fell this time, they didn’t stop falling until suddenly there was air against Sokka’s back and fright in his veins.

The slope had led down to a tight gorge with steep edges, Sokka realized as he fell. Water was rushing below, and he only hoped that he didn’t hit a rock. His grip on Zuko was lost as soon as he hit the water. The moment he hit the water it was like he had collided with solid ground. The wind was knocked completely out of him, and his eyes bulged painfully. It felt as though his insides were being rattled around inside of his body, hitting fluidly against his bones. Something in the water smacked his temple, likely a rock, leaving his vision tunneling and blurry for a few moments under the rushing water.

Sokka breached the surface, gasping for air as he was taken downstream by the fast current. The water was unlike the water that he and Zuko were fishing in earlier. This water was harsh and rapid.

“ _Zuko_!” He called, searching desperately for his friend.

He turned his head as much as he could to see Zuko’s body being guided by the water. At least _something_ was going right for him. Sokka swam sideways against the current, and grabbed Zuko’s arm, pulling him close.

“You useless turtleduck,” Sokka muttered, the words having no real meaning except for relief.

His head pounded ridiculously as he swam along the current. He was lucky that it was going the right way at least. If he could find an opening along the high, steep edges, they may be able to get back. Sokka was filled with hope. The edges did, in fact, get lower and lower. Sokka got closer to the side, ready for any time to swim his way out of the water. The time finally came, and he grunted with effort, holding tightly to Zuko’s arm as the water tried to pry him out of his grasp. Sokka pulled himself out of the water, and then worked to get his friend out.

Sokka collapsed on the bank, coughing. Zuko had gone awfully pale, and he didn’t appear to be breathing. Sokka scrambled over to him, vision going hazy for a second. His wound didn’t look good. Sokka’s hands hovered over him, unsure what to do. Sure, they had their differences in the past, but that was all behind them.

Sokka had never had anyone his age before, not as a friend. The last person he expected to have such a camaraderie with was Zuko, but here he was. They were the same age and after Boiling Rock, they became true friends and their friendship just went from there. Sokka could not lose him. Not after everything.

“No, no…what do I do!? Zuko, I swear. You can’t…you can _not_ die! I-I can’t lose anyone else!” Sokka said, fatigue building unwanted emotion suddenly when tears filled his eyes. “You have to live, Zuko…you have to live. You’re my brother, you can’t die…”

“Who said I was going to die…?” Zuko’s voice was terribly weak, but it was still there.

“You are a horrible human being.”

Sokka was overwhelmed with relief, but it was short lived when Zuko’s face wrenched with pain. The warrior looked at the injury and was worried about the dirt and river water that it had been exposed to. Zuko had always been a pale guy, but his skin looked almost translucent, making that scar on his face stand out against his face. His golden eyes were wide with pain, and his entire body was wracked with horrible shudders.

Sokka, disregarding his own discomfort, lifted Zuko up again. He cringed when his friend moaned in pain, but knew it was for the best. He had a general idea of where the camp was, and he knew he was getting close. It was as though there was an internal compass, and it was activated in these situations especially. Zuko was beginning to go loose on Sokka again, but he shook him.

“Don’t you _dare_ leave me alone again.”

Zuko muttered something incoherent and forced himself to try and stay awake. Sokka could tell it was a struggle, same as Sokka’s to carry a person with numerous injuries as well.

“Stay awake,” Sokka encouraged. “you can do it. We are almost there.”

And they were. Damp, covered in dirt and sodden with blood, but almost back to camp. Almost back to get help. Sokka kept muttering encouragement, but they were beginning to fall upon deaf ears. Zuko had been shaking terribly, and it was so intense that when it suddenly stopped, Sokka was worried. It reminded him of earlier because he was so limp and _silent_ again. There was their camp. Sokka was out of breath as he approached, tears were in his eyes as he limped towards it.

“H- _help!_ ”

Surely Toph would have noticed their presence. Sokka could see Katara and Aang in the firelight, and beautiful Suki’s face illuminated by firelight. Everyone was alert suddenly at the voice, looking out at the forest. Toph was pointing.

“For the love of…” Sokka growled.

“Sokka! Zuko?!” Katara asked, shocked. “What happened!?

“It doesn’t matter,” Sokka said, suddenly exhausted. “Zuko needs help, _now_ , and we need to get out of here, there are Fire Nation soldiers that were hunting us. Get him on Appa and the rest of us will start cleaning up camp.”

Aang and Katara acted fast. Zuko was taken from Sokka’s arms. Sokka suddenly felt woozy and disoriented. Suki appeared next to Sokka and guided him towards Appa.

“Wha…”

“You are hurt too. Get on Appa.”

Sokka wanted to argue, at first, but the look on Suki’s face made every sitting on the tip of his tongue vanish. He would probably slow them down, anyways. Aang leaned over the side and helped Sokka up when he was having a hard time because of _his_ numerous injuries. The “thanks” fell from his lips breathlessly as he made it to the top and examined Aang’s worried face.

Blood drained from Sokka’s face, leaving him pale at the sight of Zuko. Katara’s expression was determined and strong, but her eyes betrayed her. They were full of fear. Zuko’s shirt had been fully discarded, showing the full extent of the fire prince’s injuries. Harsh, discolored bruises blossomed across the side of his chest, angry cuts and broken skin littered the range of his body, his wrist was horribly bruised and almost frozen in a strained position and by his hip…

_The wound_. The strips of clothing that Sokka had wrapped around it were thrown away, displaying the enraged skin around the injury. The color of his skin wasn’t right, it was swollen and red around the area of injury. It looked painful, deep, and red blood bubbled to the surface.

Suki and Toph managed to pack up camp in record time – that, or Sokka had just zoned out for a while, fixated on his friend. They hopped aboard Appa as the sky bison lifted into the sky.

“How is he, Katara?” Suki asked with an edge of nervousness.

Katara hesitated, blue eyes glancing to Suki and then back to Zuko’s wound. Her frown intensified as she searched for an answer. “It…it’s hard to say right now. I…I’m trying.”

Sokka’s heart dropped. He had hoped for something better. His hand found Suki’s and he squeezed. Wind blew through their hair as Appa picked up speed; Sokka blinked as his eyes filled with moisture as his bodies attempt to make them less dry due to the wind that was blowing into them so harshly. Zuko suddenly jerked awake, though, Sokka didn’t think he was comprehensive.

His face was scrunched up, his left side unmoving except for his eye which had been narrowed, and his right side had been contorted into agony. His mouth hung ajar, echoing soundless anguish, as he stared up at the cloudless evening sky. The only thing that was understanding in his eyes was _pain_.

_No, go back to being unconscious,_ Sokka begged in his mind.

He didn’t know if he was relieved to see Zuko awake. He decided he was not when a cry tore from Zuko’s throat as water entered his wound. Katara flinched but continued anyways. Sokka moved forward when Zuko screamed again, but his vision tilted and blurred, and he found himself lying on his side. No…he could not pass out now. He had to be sure that Zuko was okay.

But it was like all the energy, though it had been a scarce amount, had been depleted from him all of the sudden. His muscles hurt, every cut burned, and his ankle was sorer than it had been before. His head throbbed and his vision kept distorting in and out of focus. Vaguely, he heard his name being called. It was desperate, but at this point, the only thing that Sokka could focus on was Zuko’s shuddering body that was fading out of his sight quickly, and the lingering thought: _This is my fault_.

* * *

Sokka awoke to quiet conversation. He blinked, trying to clear his foggy brain and grasp what he was seeing in front of him. Just the night sky, darkened but dotted with beautiful, shining stars, and above him, the moon. Yue watched over him, illuminating the night with her silvery glow and protected Sokka from any more harm. A small, yet weary, smile lifted his lips.

“Snoozles is awake,” said a voice from near Sokka.

“Sokka!”

Sokka recognized that immediately as the voice of his sister. He pushed himself up, groaning at the ache that stretched across his entire body. Katara appeared beside him, brightened by the fire’s glow. Tears glistened in her eyes as she pulled Sokka into a gentle hug. Sokka could feel her heart beating against her chest as she hugged him. He released a sigh and wrapped his arms around his baby sister. She pulled away, suddenly angry.

“Do you have _any_ idea how worried we all have been?!” She asked.

“Geez, he just woke up. Save the lecture for later,” Toph grumbled, punching Sokka in the arm as a form of affection.

“How…how long have I been out?” Sokka wondered, after everyone had hugged or _punched_ him.

“You’ve been sleeping for about a day and a half,” Aang answered.

“I had to heal your injuries. You had a concussion, and your ankle was in bad shape too. I think the rest of it was fatigue,” Katara said, obviously tired as well. “you passed out while I was healing Zuko—”

Sokka straightened, “Where is Zuko?”

Suki pointed to the other side of the fire. Sokka followed her extended arm and his eyes fell upon the unconscious prince. He inhaled and released a shaky breath. He watched the rise and fall of his chest, but was unhappy at the uncommon labored breaths, and the less-than-natural pale skin. He was under a bedroll, wrist out and bandaged and splinted, but Sokka could see other bandages wrapped around the parts he could see.

“His injury isn’t completely healed. I am going to have to keep healing it in sessions…” Katara said. “It’s not good. He’s got a fever right now, so I suspect an infection is setting in…despite the healing. Sokka, what happened?”

“What _happened_ is I should have let him be as tight and grumpy as he wanted.”

Sokka explained the events of the other day as best as he could when guilt started to consume him. He became angry as he told the story.

“I just don’t understand how his own people could do that to him. I mean, they are people too,” Sokka muttered. “yeah, yeah. I know that’s ‘crazy’ coming from me of all people, Fire Nation hater extraordinaire, but seriously. I just can’t comprehend that.”

“Neither can I…” Aang said sadly, pulling his knees close to his chest.

“There are some bag-eggs among the Fire Nation. It’s kinda hard for all of us to understand, I guess, especially you three,” Toph said, crossing her arms. “because we come from nations where the majority of our people wouldn’t do something like that. But most of the Fire Nation is a bit insane. Even Sparky is a little bit—”

“Well, given his _past_ ,” Katara mumbled.

“Yeah, even that. They’ve got tremendous devotion to their nation, so they go to extreme lengths to protect their loyalty and honor. But some of it has to do with the government they are under and the ruler who’s enforcing or allowing these things to happen. If the Firelord mandates for his own son to be hunted down and captured dead or alive, do you think that the rest of his territorial army is going to have a lot of self-control with the whole cruelty thing?”

“You’re right, Toph,” Suki said. “that’s why we’ve got to stop them.”

“Yeah, and most importantly that’s why Aang has to stop the Firelord.”

Aang looked at his feet, eyebrows furrowed together, and lips drawn tight. Sokka cast his gaze back over towards Zuko. Zuko knew of the brutality of the Fire Nation firsthand, and of his own father. He had continued to remind them all constantly. Sokka would take him more seriously from now on.

The next day, Zuko’s fever rose. He regained consciousness for a mere moments, stuck in a haziness before he drifted back off. Sokka hovered nearby as Katara replaced the bandages. He grimaced at the sight of the cut. The injury had been sutured and while it had diminished in size from his sister’s healing, it looked…how could he say this…just grosser. A greenish substance was mixing with the blood and seeping from the stitched skin. All in all, suggesting an infection.

“Oh no, this isn’t good…it must have gotten infected over the night,” she said, voice wavering. “Okay, I need to start treating this now.”

Sokka knew this wasn’t good. He thought that they were out of hot water, but he was wrong.

* * *

Someone kept an eye on Zuko constantly. At one point, he woke up and began to shudder uncontrollably. He started muttering about his mother – and though Zuko had shared about his past with them, his mother was the one thing they didn’t know much about. A cold rag was placed across his forehead to reduce his fever, while Katara worked on defeating the infection.

“Sokka…?” Zuko’s raspy voice asked, eyes flickering to the watertribe boy sitting near him.

“Yeah, yeah it’s me,” Sokka said, leaning over.

Zuko released a shaky breath, reaching out aimlessly. “I’m always alone...”

Sokka frowned, concerned about Zuko’s fevered state.

“Please, don’t leave me.”

Sokka didn’t.

* * *

Katara had managed, through painstaking work, to treat the infection and was finally able to get back to healing the wound and the rest of his injuries. Zuko was more aware now, as his fever had dropped. The others were around camp, or off gathering sticks, Sokka could care less now as he was giving Zuko some water.

“I’m sorry.”

Zuko looked up at Sokka, obviously confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, _all_ of this,” he gestured to Zuko. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you to relax or anything. Maybe if I hadn’t this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Something like this was bound to happen eventually,” Zuko responded tiredly. “it’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine for declaring it to my father as loudly as I did. But I don’t regret that.”

Sokka chewed on his lip, Zuko watched him eyes narrowed.

“I’m serious, you know.”

“And so am I,” Sokka snapped. “I _never_ want to see you that close to death ever again. I don’t want you to be in a position of vulnerability, or of pain because of _my_ weakness. I got caught so fast and you paid the price. Why can’t I ever seem to be able to fend for myself? This war has brought out the worst in every single person. I am _so_ sorry, Zuko.”

“I don’t know about you, Sokka,” Zuko said, rubbing his head. “it was an _ambush_. You had a fishing pole. It happens, you’re still a great warrior—”

“I’m not looking for reassurance, your princliness,” Sokka scowled. “can’t you understand? I want your forgiveness. Because this is eating me up inside. I would never be able to live with myself if you had died. I cannot lose anyone else. I have lost my mother already; I can’t lose my brother too.”

Zuko lay on the ground, stunned. He blinked and pushed himself off, wincing and grasping his side. Sokka immediately rushed to push him back down, but Zuko smacked his hand away. Fully sitting up, looking weary as ever but still strong willed, Zuko stared straight into Sokka’s eyes.

“…brother?”

Sokka nodded.

“I…I’ve never had a brother. My cousin, Lu Ten was kind of like a brother to me…but, he’s dead.”

“I mean...you’re my best pal.”

Zuko looked shocked. “Even after hunting you across the world?”

“You don’t need to bring _that_ up so often, you know,” Sokka said sullenly. “but, yeah. Even _after_ all of that. Because you’ve changed. I’ve never really had a friend, besides these guys.”

“…me either.”

Sokka didn’t say it, but he wasn’t surprised.

“Do…do you really think of me like a brother?”

“Yeah, dude. I’ve been stuck around all these guys, and yeah I love ‘em and all, but they’re teeny kids. That’s why its been such a relief to have you and Suki here with me. I’ve known lots of people throughout my life, but never really another guy my age that I can, I don’t know, vibe with. You’ve really proven yourself. And if someone would’ve asked me like two months ago if I ever thought that we could be friends, I would have laughed hysterically. But look at us now.”

Zuko contemplated this. “The concept of friends is new to me. I _am_ happy…but, it’s just…”

Zuko scrambled to find the words, looking back at Sokka who seemed to understand what he was trying to say. 

“You helped save my dad, and Suki. You’re teaching Aang firebending and also you admitted to your past mistakes. Which, for someone as prideful as you – no offense – that is no easy feat. I don’t know what changed between us exactly. I don’t look at you and think: “oh, that guy hunted me across the world”, anymore. You’re just…my friend. And you’re part of Team Avatar! And we’re a family. So, please. Take me seriously right now. I’m sorry.”

“I…I forgive you,” Zuko said, coughing to cover new emotion in his voice. “erm…thank you. For, well, you know. Uh, saving me. You’re a very skilled warrior. Very, uh, resourceful. And…I think of you like a brother, too.”

Sokka chuckled at Zuko’s awkwardness. He reacted by ruffling his friend’s hair, much to Zuko’s chagrin. Despite being injured, Zuko swatted Sokka’s hand away.

“Thanks,” Sokka said, grinning ear-to-ear.

Sokka had had seen hardships, and horrible things due to this war. He had already suffered and lost people he loved. He wouldn’t lose anyone else.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! I always liked the friendship between Sokka and Zuko, so I decided to write about it. I'd love to see your thoughts in the review section, again, thanks for reading!


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